Planning privatisation to be scrapped

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to “privatise” Warrington Borough Council’s planning department looks set to be scrapped.
Town Hall bosses are being recommended to stop a procurement process designed to establish a commercial arrangement for the delivery of planning services in the borough.
Members of the executive board have been told the council’s objectives – to save about £150,000 a year – cannot be met through commercial contractual obligations in a way that guarantees any financial benefit.
They will also be recommended to consider the future of the planning department as part of the cost cutting process being undertaken across the council as a whole.
The move to privatise the department ran into problems from the start.
Only one private company expressed interest – major consultancy Capita Symonds.
The move was “called in” by Labour councillors and scrutiny chiefs decided the principles of good decision making had been breached.
Talks continued with Capita Symonds who submitted tender price of £1.619 million a year – a saving in the region of £147,000 a year.
But Coun Bob Barr (right), executive member for planning, regeneration and housing, in a report to the executive board, says some areas within the tender proposal would be extremely difficult to tie down with certainty in a contract and would rely on “goodwill.”
In addition, some elements of the proposal may leave the council with unacceptable levels of risk.
Council officers will continue to explore alternative ways of working either independently or with other local authorities to minimise costs on playing while meeting minimum statutory requirements.